A method, job management apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed for a job management apparatus, the job management apparatus managing a print job for at least one printer, wherein the code computer readable code configured to cause the job management apparatus to display a job scheduling screen. The process includes (a) obtaining first information on a job to be executed by the at least one printer; (b) obtaining second information on color reproduction state of the at least one printer; and (c) generating the job scheduling screen, wherein the job scheduling screen is a two dimensional chart in which a first axis indicates an execution length of time for the job or a number of sheets of paper to be used for the job, and in which a part of a second axis of the two dimensional chart indicates the color reproduction state of the at least one printer.

A print job transmitting device acquires the job execution order from the image forming apparatus every time a specific time period is lapse until the job execution order acquired from the image forming apparatus is not different from a new job execution order after requesting the image forming apparatus to change the job execution order into the new job execution order, and notifies the job execution order acquired from the image forming apparatus when the job execution order acquired from the image forming apparatus is not different from the new job execution order.

An information processing apparatus includes a storage unit, a display controller, an input receiver, a job management unit, and a sorting unit. The display controller performs control to display, on a display unit, a job list that is a list of one or more jobs and contains one or more setting items for each job. The input receiver receives selection of a setting item from the list. The job management unit stores, in the storage unit, arrangement orders of setting values of the setting items on the list when selection of the setting item is received. The sorting unit rearranges the jobs such that the setting values of the selected setting item are arranged in a predetermined order while keeping arrangement orders of the setting values of the setting items other than the selected setting item among the jobs in ascending or descending order as stored in the storage unit.

An information processing apparatus includes a generation unit, an adding unit, and an association unit. The generation unit generates, in a case where additional processing needs to be performed on input information in a workflow, unique information for uniquely identifying the information. The adding unit adds the unique information generated by the generation unit to identification information for identifying the information to generate new identification information of the information. The association unit associates the new identification information generated by the adding unit with the information.

A post processing apparatus is used effectively, an execution waiting time of a print job due to moving of a self-travelling post processing apparatus is shortened, and a total printing time is shortened, whereby productivity is increased. In an image forming system which includes a self-travelling post processing apparatus being separably connected to an image forming apparatus, when receiving a plurality of print jobs including both a print job which performs the post processing by the post processing apparatus and a print job which does not perform post processing, an execution order of the plurality of print jobs is changed in accordance with a connecting state of the post processing apparatus to the image forming apparatus.

A control device that is communicable with a plurality of image forming apparatuses, comprises: an information obtaining part that obtains history information from the plurality of image forming apparatuses; a spool destination deciding part that decides two or more image forming apparatuses as spool destinations of an accepted job from the plurality of image forming apparatuses based on plural pieces of history information obtained by the information obtaining part; and a job transmitter that transmits a job to the two or more image forming apparatuses decided by the spool destination deciding part.

A media processing system is arranged to process image receiving media under predetermined physical conditions. The system includes a scheduler arranged to schedule jobs to be processed in the system and to calculate predicted timings (T0) at which media will have to be ready for processing and to indicate the predicted timings on a user interface. The system further includes a buffer in which a supply of media that has been received from a first environment is kept in a specified second environment before being processed. The scheduler is configured to calculate an acclimatization time required for the media to acquire the predetermined physical conditions by being kept in the second environment in the buffer, and to calculate and indicate a predicted timing (T1) at which the media should be present in the sheet buffer at the latest in view of the calculated acclimatization time.

A printing system includes a first printer configured to execute an initial operation to transition to a printable state when receiving an activation instruction and a second printer configured to execute an initial operation to transition to a printable state when receiving an activation instruction. Activation instruction processing for outputting the activation instruction to the second printer is executed when the second printer is designated as a following printer to be activated subsequently to the first printer. In the activation instruction processing, the activation instruction is output to the second printer at second activation timing obtained based on, with timing at which the first printer receives the activation instruction as a starting point, a first initial operation time, a first maintenance time, and a second initial operation time.

A printing system including a first printer and a second printer is provided with: a job group creation unit that creates a job group defining a plurality of jobs to be grouped and a print order thereof; a job group storage unit that stores information on the print order of the plurality of jobs; a job group updating unit that updates the information on the print order stored in the job group storage unit based on information on an output order when printing is executed by the second printer; and a print instruction unit that instructs the first printer to execute printing based on the plurality of jobs in the print order stored in the job group storage unit.

A program stored in a non-transitory storage medium causes a computer to execute: storing a print job list indicating print schedule for a print job; receiving a change request to change the print schedule; and querying a transmission source of the print job. In the querying the transmission source of the print job, a transmission source of the print job is queried whether or not change of the print schedule according to the change request is acceptable.